Minister Getting Threats

Minister of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Savannah Maziya says she is receiving threatening phone calls over the forensic audit currently underway at the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP).

Her disclosure follows a similar claim by the former acting Chief Executive Officer of RSTP Dr Andile Metfula, who alleged having received death threats last year after being assigned to hold fort following the non-renewal of former CEO Vumile Dlamini’s contract.

“It’s interesting when people begin threatening you. Some are calling us, some are going to the highest offices to complain, and I’ve even been told maybe I should leave the country, so that’s when you begin to ask, what is it that they are so afraid will come out?,” said the minister.

She however, insisted that she remains undeterred and has bolstered her personal security in response to the suspicious resistance to the forensic audit.

“If anything the threats have made it clear to me that there must be more to it than meets the eye, so I’ve stepped up security and continued with the job, because as the mafia say, this is the business we are in,” she said, laughing, but insisting that the forensic audit must proceed despite the personal cost.

“It is critical because it helps us rebuild RSTP, restore trust and deliver on the king’s vision, so it has to happen,” she emphasised.

She also spoke of media reports on the company that is conducting the forensic audit, making it clear that the ministry of ICT played no role in selecting the company that won the tender to carry out the forensic audit, saying the process was entirely handled by the attorney general’s office.

“It’s the AG’s audit, not ours. We provided the scope, but the tendering and appointment process was completely out of our hands,” she clarified, repeatedly stating that that the forensic audit is not under her ministry’s control.

She, however, said she hoped the reports were truthful and now efforts to tarnish the credibility of the audit or the auditing firm tasked with the investigation, stating that she would be concerned if there were attempts underway to discredit the company so that, once its report is finalised, it would no longer be accepted by the public.

“I hope we’re not using facades for content. I hope the intention is not to make someone look bad, and then when the audit report comes out, we say, ‘consider the source’ and disregard it,” she stated.

Minister Maziya emphasised that the forensic audit is a critical governance tool and not an avenue for personal vendettas.

Hunt
“If the real concern is that there may be an issue, that’s a different conversation, but I hope we’re not going into this trying to hunt someone down. These are important things, and they will help move the country forward,” said the minister.

Maziya affirmed the central role of the RSTP government’s broader digitalisation agenda, describing the parastatal as ‘absolutely central’ to flagship projects such as the ‘government in your hand’ programme, which is aimed at digitising government services and enhancing citizen access to public information.

She explained that the RSTP Act of 2023 mandates every government department to work with the park for all ICT-related needs and deliverables.

“If the DPM’s office for instance, wants to do a social register, they must go through RSTP. It’s the engine room for government’s digital transformation,” said the minister.

She admitted that the institution has not yet fulfilled the vision laid out by His Majesty when the park was conceived over a decade ago, and said the forensic audit would help determine where the institution currently stands, what went wrong, and how to chart a sustainable path forward.

“You can’t go forward when you don’t know where you are. We want to know: what skills do we have? What is the asset base? Can we use what we already have?” she stated.

She was candid about past shortcomings at the RSTP, noting that some entities such as banks and telecoms have chosen not to use the park’s data centre, which she said points to underlying issues that must be addressed scientifically.

“We have not taken it to where the king wanted it to be,” she said, making it known that the long-term goal is to establish a tier-three data centre at RSTP and build credibility that attracts both public and private sector partners.

“For us to store data, we need to be trusted. When we store data, we get money. The king wanted RSTP to be financially independent, and to support government with extra revenue,” the minister said.

The minister outlined her vision for a new RSTP—one that is credible, transparent and competent, stating that the institution must regain the confidence of stakeholders and stop being associated with inefficiency or controversy.

Negative
“You don’t want a name that people link to negative things. You want people to say credible, capable, honest, good pricing, best institution. Not just good-looking buildings,” she said.

Maziya also spoke passionately about the need to make RSTP a hub for young innovators, promising that the new direction would involve hosting start-ups, global tech players, and giving young people from all corners of Eswatini the opportunity to learn and engage.

“We want to bring in young people with apps, with ideas. Some don’t even need to build something yet—they just need to observe, be in an environment with innovators and global companies. That exposure alone is powerful,” she stated.